1. Artist’s Book as an original, thematic and handmade work of art
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2. Table of Contents
Artist’s Book as an original, thematic and handmade work of art ......................................................... 3
Artist’s book as Concept and theme ....................................................................................................... 4
Artist’s book as Verbal exploration ......................................................................................................... 7
Artist’s book as Agent of social change ................................................................................................ 10
Artist’s book as Documentary and archival .......................................................................................... 11
Artist’s book as Narrative..........................................................................................................................

3. Artist’s Book as an original, thematic and handmade work of art
Some works of art are realized in the form of book and so called as Artists’ books. These artists’
books are published in very small editions and sometimes these are published as a kind of project
work and referred as ‘unique’. There have been available number of forms and wide range of the
artists’ book that include scrolls, concertinas or loose items contained in a box, fold –outs and bound
printed sheets. For the many years the artists have been involved in the production and printing of the
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books but from the 20 century the artists’ boo have been came in to existence and made it
revolutionize. Even though not all books are issued in the editions but some of them issued. Artists’
work is very unique and it is a very highly limited edition or a direct expression of the aesthetic ideas
in a book form. At a first sight if you see then the definition of the artists’ book is quite clear and easy
to understandable. It can be say that it is simply a book design or book art, that has been produced or
illustrated by an artist’ individually and uniquely. For example a book as named ‘ ABC of Bookbinding’
developed by Jane Greenfield and published by Oak Knoll press in 1998 which is a unique work art of
a artist’. The things need to understand as the does each individual artists’ has the unique book art or
it can be a edition of the different artists’ for the number of copies. In traditional ages the artists were
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aware of the printing of the books etc. but from the 20 century the evolution of the artists’ book
changed the thinking and methodologies of presenting the idea of the books.
According to the Art Libraries Society of the United Kingdom and Ireland the definitions of the artists’
books have been changed as it turns in to a new revolutionary environment. The Art Libraries Society
of the United Kingdom and Ireland produced the library catalogue for the artists’ book or book like
subject where the artists’ can make input through the imagination and beyond the illustration using
visual thinking and thus the final appearance of the book will be based on the author’s thought and
interference or participation. By this the book is itself will be a work of art. Till yet the artists’ work is
greatly flourishing this means that the artists’ work has its own importance where the work of art is
represented in form of the books. The national library of Scotland has multiple collection of the artist’s
book from the ancient to the modern collections. Here these artists’ books as not published or if
published then as limited edition then it might happen that some of them may fall outside the legal
deposit laws and that’s why not deposited in the libraries. These artists’ books are very limited in
edition so there are rarely found on all places. Scottish producers of artists’’ book have a collection of
many artists’ books including Jean Johnstone and Elizabeth Hobbs. John Johnstone produced the
book in year 1998 and the used images in this artists’ book used from ‘The Eagle Sings’. There were
only published seven copies of this work. This report includes the artists’ work containing the different
limited editions of the artists’ work.

4. Artist’s book as Concept and theme
Concepts and themes as artists’ book signify the important themes and concepts based on such a
incident or a story. The development of the conceptual and theme based artist’s book started during
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20 century. Based on an incident or based on some kind of story the artists’ book as concepts and
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theme were produced by Bruce Nauman, Lawrence Weiner and Sol LeWitt in early 20 century from
North America. In different countries like United Kingdom, Poland many author in art & language field
developed artists’ book as a central part of their practice. For example, in January, 1969 there was
an exhibition in New York, United States of America organized by Seth Siegelaub, for the
demonstration or presentation of the stack of Artists’ book where thousands of the artists’ books in
concept and themes were presented. Mainly this exhibition was featured for the artists’ book
produced or illustrated by Douglas Huebler, Lawrence Weiner, Robert Barry and Joseph Kosuth.
These authors presented the simply chronicled shadows of the artists’ book based on concepts and
themes. The main aim was to show that based on a story how a book can be produced which contain
the interference of the author and his imagination visually. In year 1972, Whilst Kozolwski’s realty was
presented through the Artists’ book. The artists’ book didn’t contain the texts but was totally based on
the imagination in the reality and then produced them in to some themes and concepts. The other
example can be seen as artists’ book produced ‘Einbetoniertes Buch’ in year 1971 by Wolf Vostell.
Autobiography by Sol LeWitt, 1980
The above presented artists’ book as an autobiography by Sol LeWitt in year 1980 explains that how
the autobiography has been produced in the form of themes and concepts. These types of books only
have limited editions and are rarely available. In the United Kingdom, Poland and United States of
America libraries and museums this kind of artists’ book based on concepts and themes can be seen
but very limited. This artists’ book shows that the main theme is to show the activities of Sol LeWitt
and his interest etc. through the use of the images as a theme of his life. The two pages picture
describes about him what he like and what he do only using the images and based on his life. There
has not been used any single word. Lawrence Weiner, Robert Barry also produced such kind of
artists’ book through the use of the images based on the themes and specific concepts. Thus there
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have been lots of work in the 20 century for the artists’ work and there have been produced number
of limited edition of artists’ book. The below artists’ book named as ‘ The Blue Book’ by Naxos,
Greece in year 1998 produced that is based on the blue themes. This artists’ book is handmade, the
size of the book is 15.5x22.0 cm. In this book there is texture cover and there are only 50 pages in
blue shades, including with petals, leaver, berries with the thread that in incorporated in the book.
There is no text in the book, only a blue theme is there in the all 50 pages.

5. The Blue Book, Naxos, Greece, 1998
This artists’ book shows about the sky and water kind of themes inside the book using the different
images that signify the themes. This describes the themes of the life as air and water in the form of
images in blue color theme. This indicates that many authors as discussed above have used the
concepts and themes to produce artists’ book. ‘A Walk in the woods’ is another artists’ book based
on the concepts and themes, and the main theme here is walking in the woods by Rea Stavropoulos
in Florence in year 2000.
A walk in the woods, Florence 2000
The above artists’ book for the walking in the woods theme shows that the color make the people fear
when they walk as with the different –different dreams and fears that can be combine or illustrated
using the colors. This artists’ book is digitally printed and in a limited edition as 50 copies. This artists’
book was digitally printed for the exhibition named as ‘We Map Out our obsessions’ in Florence in
year 2000. This artists’ work was as a artists’ book was soft blinded after digital printing with the
transparent protective cover. There were 52 pages in this artists’ book and the size was 11x15.5 cm
and there were both images and text in the book and the basic theme of the artists’ book was
Women, feminity and the cycle of nature. The concepts and the themes is produced by Rea
Stavropoulos and digitally printed by La Stamperia di Massimo Massaini in Florence. Feminity means
the sexual activities and dominance in the society have been presented using both the images and
texts as well. The another artists’ book named as ‘Dance, Dreams and Journeys – fragments of a life’
produced by Rea Stavropoulos and digitally printed by La Stamperia di Massimo Massaini in Florence
in eyar 2003, the size of the book is 13x17 cm and there are 116 pages and the original drawing have
been taken from the artist’s sketchbooks 1973-2003 and texts by the artist on Colotech. The theme of
this artists’ book is very different and there have been used three different sections as dance, dreams
and journeys.

6. It include “The Seventies”; “From Sri Lanka to India, by train and boat”; “Family”; “Travels through
Greece”; “Dance – Rhythm in Space”.
Dance, Dreams and Journeys – fragments of a life, Florence, 2003
Thus finally, from the above description of the artists’ book as concepts and themes shows that there
have been many authors in different regions who produced this kind of artists’ book using the
concepts and themes. Some of them are very limited editions so rarely available, some of them have
been presented here.

7. Artist’s book as Verbal exploration
Exploration verbally is also a way to represent the things in a nice way. From the past it has been
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used but after the 20 century it got rapid use and many authors presented their imagination and
through not in the words but as verbally. In verbal way the author can represent the whole imagination
and thinking in just few images in a synchronization way which explains the entire story using the
verbal and also the verbal patterns. The below is an example of how the artists’ book based on Verbal
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exploration were produced in the 20 century.
Art in Safe, Ruine, Geneva 1989
This artists’ book implies about the forward of work using the verbal explanation as seen in the above
figure of the artists’ book as an example. The work of 8 artists has been represented like a safe
deposit using the verbal as 30x50x10 cm boxes in Banque Hypothécaire du Canton de Genève. The
all keys of the boxes have been displayed in the Ruine, Geneva. This indicates that using only the
verbal as keys and boxes the meaning of the art can be understand from it easily. The authors as
Joseph Beuys, Les Levine and Herman Nitsch, Fanz Erhard Walther in Switzerland exhibited the
artists’ book as verbal exploration. These kinds of artists’ book also have limited edition of printing
and very rare to find. Verbal is kind of representations which have very specific meaning and may be
some time deep meaning to for understanding the themes or correct meaning behind it. Using the
specific characters it explains a lot of things. The below is another example which illustrates the verbal
exploration perfectly. As seen in the image that this is not a single picture used in the artists’ book but
it signify the many things as the dotted lines and the small –small dotted spots on the verbal image
describes about something that is really important. This verbal representation of the book make your
attention towards the visual materiality of language that was used in year 1910 to 1920 by the futurists
such as Marinetti or Dadaists such as Tristan Tzara or Kurt Schwitters undertook their typographic
experimentation.
The legacy of such exploration was produced by Marinetti or Dadaists using the tedious patterns of
the verbal representation as artists’ books and printed as limited edition. The first artists’ book name
as ‘A Throw of a Dice’ was printed in year 1914 where he used the mostly of verbal representation to
understand the things. The main aspects of such artists’ book were as the signifier and the
signified. Dadaists tried to put the linguists in the verbal presentation type artists’ book where absent
was signified which may showed the independent relation to the material signifier.

8. Tristan Tzara: Calligramme, 1910
These experiments of verbal exploration on the physical level of language were dismissed by
Surrealism, who experimented the language level as mental presentation and produced the artists’
book based on his imagination and theories as verbal exploration in year 1950s – 1960s. During the
Second World War it got in to existence completely with the presentation and through as a form of
verbal.
Isou, Les Nombres (1952)

9. The presented picture of the book Isou in 1952 illustrates how the verbal explorations were used to
represent the ideas and thinking. The verbal language is very important while signifying the important
things and not the all should be able to understand easily. It evolved during Second World War
because in Second World War to inform to the people there verbal were sued so that the enemy and
other non-authentic person could not trace the things or messages easily. The concrete poetry also
produced using the iconization of language. The visual pictures were applied to know the secret
things in a better way. The most of the species as verbal were very typical and complex to
understand. During 1998 Roland Sabati’s presented a artists’ book as verbal exploration so it can be
assumed that till yet this is most important.

10. Artist’s book as Agent of social change
Social change in the societies is a critic issue and happens all time. From the origin of the human till
yet it has happening. What the people think about the social change, what imagination they have for
the society etc. there are many things which have been developed as artists’ book as agent of social
change. ‘Telephone Book’ a printed artists’ book by John Baldessari 1931 in USA is a good example
of agent of social change. Here in this artists’ book the author presented about the social change as
the use of the telecommunication in the present world.
The Telephone Book (1988), John Baldessari 1931 USA
The agent of social change is a very conceptual artists’ book thinking and is a collection of the
different ideas with the use of the graphic elements inside it. It explains about the change in the
society and sows the use of the phones as changing factor. The Telephone Book is articulated mainly
through the use of dramatic stills shots. In the opening sequence there is an image of a phone caught
between two different persons’ hands; then the neck of a woman dancing with a male partner – again
displaying pearls; and a third image in which another woman in a black cocktail dress wearing another
string of pearls speaks on the phone. Not much authors developed the artists’ book as the agent of
social change and those who produced have very limited edition so rarely available in the libraries
and museums too. The important thing that has been presented in this artists’ book as this book is
totally digitally printed book but the content and theme of the book signifies the social change in the
world. Thus, it is sure that this book is a totally a good imagination of the thought of the author in to
the reality.

11. Artist’s book as Documentary and archival
These works are quite distinct in each other as the same work can’t be matched or pass it on the
other. These works are either genuine or simulacral production of an archives that seem like as the
presentation of the raw material of the personal memory and the experience of the person. The
precedent of this kind of work can be seen as produced by Marcel Duchamp which is known as the
Green Box. This Green box hols number of memories and the past works of the Marcel Duchamp as
with the same name as The Large Glass or the bride stripped bare by her Bachelors’ event. The
below picture illustrates of the artists’ book of documentary and archival by Marcel Duchamp.
There were published limited editions of this book too. There were only 5 editions and those were
published by his own imprint as Editions Rrose Selavy in year 1931. This work contains the loose
leaves of notes of his large glass project that was reproduced in facsimile. This project contains the
number of philosophical and representational material of the personal archives. Begun in 1915 also
produced the personal documentary and archives as an artists’ book. This green box contained
almost more than 100 personal notes about the personal life. Boltanski in 1990 published a
documentary by own (self published) as like much loved scrapbook. There is contrast in the artists’
book by Boltanski as there is no direct link available about his personal activities and histories. This
book was motivated by an encounter with a bit of damaged geography, a block in Berlin in which a
apartment was destroyed in year 1945 during the Second World War. There are few maps inside the
book which shows the places and historical buildings and the book use a standard grey box which is
acid free. This book also contains transcripts, conversations, and photograph as well as lists of
interviews and some of the city records. The important thing is to note down that the labels in the
book are corresponding to the name of the places, buildings, conversations etc. Journals and dairies
are almost the clichés of the artists’ book. Others are manipulated notebook, the transformed
sketchbook, the book of accounts or old ledger all comes under the category of the documentary and
archival. These clichés of the artists’ books occurs because of the number of the books or a notebook
contains the predictable scrapbook accumulations.

12. The above picture is all about the personal archival of the Christian Boltanski that was produced by
him in year 1990. When Journal form becomes icon or image the archival or documentary becomes
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the artists’ book and then in 20 century there have been lots of development.

13. References
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Press, 1995 (H8.96.185)
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(H8.96.78)
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Visuelle Poesie IX/1997, pp. 169-184